A number of alert readers have pointed us to an ad that's been running in the print edition of the O over the past couple of months. It's an ad soliciting donations for a facility that serves meals to the needy. Pictured in the ad is a man whom readers have thought might be David Wilson, the notorious "Welches" con man who roams the streets and bars of Portland with a fake sob story that he pushes to pry cash from unsuspecting strangers. We've spotlighted David on this blog since he defrauded us out of a few bucks in July 2007.

Not getting the hard copy of the O delivered to the house any more, we don't get to see the ads in the paper, either. Unlike the Times, which lets paid subscribers see an exact replica of the day's paper (as well as offering three other electronic views of the day's content to everyone), the O offers us only the workmanlike OregonLive.

Anyway, we tracked down a hard copy of the local daily at the public library on Saturday, and leafed through it to see if we could find the ad in question. There it was, on page A5. And folks, although there is a certain likeness, I'm pretty sure it isn't Wilson. The eyes are wrong. Besides, David doesn't want or need a free meal at a legitimate soup kitchen. He's got a much, much better gig going (although we wonder how he works it in the winter).